Read the passage and answer the following questions:
Polio was an epidemic in India in the 1970s. The government tried various ways to curb it, but the results were not impressive. Then Amitabh Bachchan was roped in to be the face of the Pulse Polio Campaign in India. The slogan of polio eradication campaign was "DO BOOND ZINDAGI KE" (Two drops of Life). He educated people on the various advantages of polio vaccination and appealed to them to actively participate in the drive. This brought positive change in people's attitude towards the polio vaccine. After that, Indians took the campaign seriously and actively participated in the polio vaccination drive. Due to the effectiveness of the drive, India has become a polio-free country. Till date, the people in India relate the voice of Amitabh Bachchan to the polio eradication campaign.
What feature was predominantly present in the campaign that could change the attitude of Indians?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Rational and Emotional appeal
Option (1) Rational and Emotional appeal — Correct. The message is the information presented to bring about an attitude change, and whether it contains a rational or an emotional appeal makes a difference. The campaign did both: Amitabh Bachchan educated people on the advantages of polio vaccination (a rational appeal), and the slogan ‘Two drops of Life’ and his appeal to join the drive worked on their feelings (an emotional appeal).
Option (2) Personal experience — Incorrect. Personal experience is what a person has gone through herself or himself. The people in the passage changed their attitude because of the campaign’s message about the vaccine, not because of something that had happened to them.
Option (3) Persuasibility — Incorrect. Persuasibility is a quality of the target, the person whose attitude is to be changed. It is not a feature of the campaign.
Option (4) Attractiveness — Incorrect. Attractiveness is a quality of the source, the person who carries the message; here it belongs to Amitabh Bachchan, which the next question asks about. The question asks about the campaign’s message.
NCERT (2025-26): “Message characteristics : … The message is the information that is presented in order to bring about an attitude change. Attitudes will change when the amount of information that is given about the topic is just enough, neither too much nor too little. Whether the message contains a rational or an emotional appeal, also makes a difference. For example, an advertisement for cooking food in a pressure cooker may point out that this saves fuel such as cooking gas (LPG) and is economical (rational appeal). Alternatively, the advertisement may say that pressure-cooking preserves nutrition, and that if one cares for the family, nutrition would be a major concern (emotional appeal) (see Figure 6.2).” |